Empty Rooms
by Mayofish
Summary: It was a joke, really, that they all ended up sharing that apartment in Dromund Kaas. But now all that is left is empty rooms. Spoilers for Knights of the Fallen Empire. Lana Beniko/Female Sith Inquisitor; Malavai Quinn/Female Sith Warrior; implied Male Imperial Agent/Female Sith Inquisitor


"You knew them, didn't you? You shared an apartment with them."

"Listen. I'm with Imperial Intelligence. Or...at least I was. When that was a thing. I'm not telling you anything."

A slap echos around the walls. Blood drips from the Chiss' lip.

"We are missing two of most important Sith. The Empire is falling. I need to find Jelala and Chemtrail."

He chuckles, "You miss Chem, Lana?"

Electricity crackles around the room, "Agent Xeno. I really don't have time for your games."

"It really is a funny story."

"Then get telling it."

* * *

Every one had heard the stories about them. They certainly weren't the type to lay low. And of course everyone knew that they all lived in that high-rise apartment in Dromund Kaas.

There were three of them usually, without the various companions they had coming and going. Two Sith and a Chiss that didn't even exist in any record. Regarded at three of the most important members of the Empire. Where they went, the galaxy changed.

Jelala: a warrior who practically embodied everything it was to Sith. She was ruthless, but passion was her emotion of choice. She loved hard and many. She regarded love the strongest emotion. She was born to a prominent Togruta family famous for their beautiful red skin and strong force users. She out-shined all of her family, though, when was named the Emperor's Wrath. And she definitely lived up to the name. The apartment was given to Jelala as a gift from the whole Empire.

Jelala would serve the Emperor until she died. No matter what.

Jelala was quick to offer one of the many rooms to Chemtrail, who was just settling to her new position on the Dark Council as Darth Imperious. They had attended the Sith Academy together and it was no secret that Jelala loved Chem deeply. Chemtrail, though, had no interest in her, but it didn't bother Jelala in the slightest. It was the emotion that made her stronger, it didn't need to be reciprocated.

Chemtrail was born a sickly albino. No one expected her to survive, but she did — thanks to very experimental cyborg technology. She won't say how much of her internal organs are bionic, but she doesn't try to hide that her left eye has been completely replaced. Chemtrail was sold into slavery after her family couldn't pay for her treatment but it wasn't long before it was obvious she was force-sensitive. She was famous for being very vocal about her views about how she thought the Empire should be run and being strangely merciful for a Sith.

Chemtrail believed all life deserved a chance, but she would not hesitate to kill thousands to save millions.

Lastly, there was Xeno. Not his real name but as an Imperial Agent, he no longer had a real name. He was a chiss and a proud alien. Xeno was very good at his job and got there by trusting no one. He was allowed to live in the apartment after him and Chem were paired up for several missions. In reality, he was a trouble-maker but good at his job. Chem was assigned to keep him in line.

Xeno was a patriot. There was no way the Empire would fall as long as he lived.

It was fate that brought them together. But in the end, maybe fate was against them.

* * *

Lana looks like she is going to throw the datapad in her hands. "I. Knew. All. That."

Xeno flexes against his bindings, "It was a really nice apartment. But I guess you knew that," he winks.

The Sith reaches for her lighsaber.

"Okay, okay! I get it!"

* * *

Jelala's room was on the first floor. A huge, elegant master bedroom. It was no secret she shared it with an Imperial Officer. Malavai Quinn. Patrons in the apartment's public cantina whisper rumors that he betrayed her. She almost killed him, they said.

And it was true. Jelala trusted Quinn with her life. She loved Quinn and if anyone fed her passion more than Chem, it was Quinn. Jelala loved to watch him blush and squirm. She even joked that she would marry him someday. Quinn was her own personal medic and he pulled her out of more than one incident where she was in over her head.

She laughed in the face of the Voss who warned her betrayal was coming. She trusted all her crew. From Vette who could make a drink that could kick a wookie on his ass, to the Jedi-turned-Sith Jaesa who hunted any Sith who faltered like a game of cat and mouse.

Maybe that was Jelala's first mistake. She trusted people.

He lured her into a ship and he never left her side. Her feelings for him made her strong. Without him, she was weaker. And Baras knew this. Baras also knew Quinn was indebted to him. Jelala was a Sith and by all accounts Jelala should have, would have, killed Quinn.

Baras could have took out Quinn and Jelala with one order. But Baras didn't know about Chemtrail. And it was a snag that he could not have anticipated.

When Jelala walked into that empty room and Quinn stepped away from his place beside her — she swore she would kill him. He couldn't look at her and at first she wouldn't accept it. When he called out his machines — his toys — Jelala couldn't deny it. She grit her teeth. She felt helpless and foolish. Quinn hesitated because he still loved her.

She threw him across the room. His ribs cracked when he bounced off the wall. She destroyed his robots so quickly he barely had time to stand. Then she turned to him. She brought her hand up, he felt his throat close. His vision went blurry and Quinn wanted nothing more than to die by her hand. He didn't struggle. She walked close to him and he could feel her breath on his face.

She was angry, hurt.

She pushed his body against his and her lips brushed against his even as the grip on his throat tightened. He met her eyes and this is how it should end. She touched his face, dragged her nails down his neck. He shuddered. The pressure on his neck eased just enough that his vision didn't go blank.

Jelala loved him and when she stared him in the eyes — she saw Chemtrail.

She tossed him down and he spit up blood, coughing violently. Jelala turned away from him. Her shoulders shook.

"My lord—"

"Go back to the ship, Malavai."

Because Chemtrail would have let him live. So did Jelala.

* * *

"Jelala's way of 'forgiving' Quinn involved a lot of bruises, bite marks and did you know that Togruta have really sharp teeth? Man, I've never seen him so happy! And to think he got off being beat up."

"I really did not need to know that, Agent."

"They weren't very quiet, either. I had to stay out of the apartment for a whole week one time."

" _Agent_."

* * *

Xeno's room was on the second floor. It was small and mostly filled with a ton of computers. There was a bed shoved into the corner and coffee cups and stims strew around the various computer tops. When he wasn't on missions he was working to weed out spies or terrorists that threatened the Empire. Still, Xeno wasn't always serious. Actually, he was almost never serious. Mostly just sarcastic and cocky. But he got the job done better than most.

Of course, he didn't get where he did without bending rules. He didn't like authority, especially when the authority came from a Sith. It was no surprise that this didn't sit well with the Dark Counsel and they paired him up with one of their own to watch him. The chosen was their newest member, Chemtrail. Chem was not very happy to have a chiss tag-along. Especially when their first mission together was a top-secret request directly from Darth Arkous.

They had a rough time together. Chem wasn't used to working so closely with a non-Force user. Bullets would fly past her head too close for comfort and he always stood so far back. She learned quickly that he couldn't take a hit and found herself constantly having shield him or bandage him up. She was a skilled healer but she really didn't like spending her time babysitting him. Her apprentice, Ashara, though he was funny and told Chem to live a little.

Chemtrail didn't like that idea.

Their first mission was to siege the Jedi Temple. It was also then that Chemtrail met Lana for the first time. Xeno caught her blushing every time Lana spoke to them during the assault. At first, the two of them argued about the details and which way to go first for hours but once the fighting started, they fell into a routine they knew well. Chemtrail's abilities with the Force were undeniable and her ability to strike down enemies with lightning was perfected. Xeno rained down chaos with bullets and sniped loners dead in their tracks.

They never got over bickering with each other. Chemtrail was blunt and serious while Xeno was a prankster. His sarcasm and jokes often flew right over her head.

It came to no one surprise that their mission was a success but then after news that the Republic seemed to be returning fire by attacking Korriban, Xeno got suspicious. It was his job to be suspicious.

"Darth Arkous is a traitor," he mumbled under his breath as they prepared to land.

"I will cut you're tongue out if you speak like that again, Agent," Chem snarled, her hands clutching the safety bar as the shuttle lurched to a halt as close to the Academy as they dared to go. "You speak of treason. Against a member of the Dark Counsel no less."

He laughed dryly, "Let's take bets."

"What?"

"It's a game, Chem."

She stared at him, took him in, "Say I win. You have to resign and I never have to work with you again."

"Okay. And if I win... I get you — tied to my bed for a night."

* * *

"I-I do not need to hear the rest of this!"

"It's just getting to the good part. I'm sure you're just dying to hear what I did to her," he almost purrs, "I got this super nifty Force-restricting handcuffs. Kind of like what you have me in right now."

Her face is red and she doesn't meet his eyes, "Skip it," she snarls.

"Is that jealousy I hear, Lana?"

She draws her lightsaber and points it at his neck, "I _said_ continue without it, Agent." Her voice drips dangerously.

* * *

Chemtrail's room was also upstairs. It was small, and felt even smaller with all the shelves. She spent more time in the medbay next door than her own room. Her room was impeccably clean. Datapads, holocrons and information stores lined the walls. A large window over looked the city. Her bed was neatly made. A desk sat in the middle of the room.

Chemtrail was never really one to dabble in personal relationships. She put her training and her work first. She always had a tight schedule and she always kept to it. She took training her two acolytes very seriously and her work as Darth Imperious even more so. Chem wanted to change the Empire. Chem wanted to rule the Empire. But these were all plans that she mostly kept to herself.

But Lana changed everything. Lana had a way of doing that. She set into motion something extraordinary for all of them — for the whole Empire. And most of all, Lana set Chemtrail on fire and left her stuttering, blushing mess. It was a miracle Chem was even able to talk long enough to ask Lana out. She stammered through each flirt and rubbed the back of her head with each mission.

Lana found it endearing. In Lana, Chemtrail found someone she could compare her intellect to, talk about old dusty tomes and ghosts! Chem loved talking about ghosts. Lana was more than willing to share knowledge with another Sith. They even sparred, finding that they were both fairly evenly matched in combat prowess. Chem even taught Lana a thing or two about healing using the Force.

They were close and after Chem got over the stammering, she was a pretty smooth talker. Lana fell for it, but they both knew they had work to do. Sometimes their hands brushed when they were leaned over maps and planning attacks. Their lips would brush just slightly when they went their separate ways. Xeno found the whole thing embarrassing and of course when Lana had to go into hiding, Xeno got to hear all the whining and reminiscing.

Then, when it was all said and done: when Revan was gone and there was a briefest of pause —Chemtrail made a very specific demand for the Apartment to be left empty for a whole weekend. Xeno snickered and nudged Jelala and Jelala slapped Chem on the back with a cheer of congratulations. Chemtrail threatened all of them and her pale skin had never had so much color.

However, when all the joking over, Jelala and Xeno gave into Chem's request and with shaking hands, Chem sent Lana a letter. Lana replied quickly and Chemtrail spent the next hours pacing and cleaning the already tidy Apartment. She practiced what to say and tried to calm her nerves and the butterflies in her stomach. She jumped when she heard the Elevator stop on their floor.

Lana looked divine in more casual clothing and just the faintest hint of make-up. Chem couldn't find her voice. She took Lana's and and at first just showed her around the Apartment, rambling on about the different rooms. Lana humored her for a while before finally tugging Chem towards her. She kissed the other Sith and then whispered,

"Why don't you just show me your room?"

Chemtrail laughed awkwardly but she had never climbed those stairs so fast in her life. They stumble in together and it was rough touches and fanatic kisses. Lana wasn't a gentle lover and Chem's light skin was perfect for leaving bruises and scratches. They all but tripped over each other and fell into the bed. Lana took all of Chemtrail in and with suddenly tender movements, started to pull off the long coat she always wear. Chemtrail hesitated, tightened her grip on Lana's arm. Lana met her eyes and gave a reassuring smile.

With Chem's shirt off, Lana's breathe caught in her throat. Chemtrail hid it well — her completely bionic left arm. But the design was elegant and Lana trailed her fingers down the metal and then back up to where it met the flesh of Chem's shoulder. She left a particularly large hickey on that shoulder. Somewhere between the kisses and the touches, Chemtrail was able to get off Lana's clothing and returned the serious of nips and marks Lana left on her.

* * *

"H-how do you know all this?"

"Chem has me tend to her implants sometimes. Her personal saves aren't encrypted, makes them pretty easy to hack."

"She _saved_ this?!"

"Yeah, it's sickly cute. She doesn't save anything else. Just...you."

"You can stop talking about it now."

"It's important to plot development."

"I was _there._ "

* * *

Somehow, Chemtrail managed to untangle herself from the other Sith and settled between Lana's thighs. Lana tugged on Chem's hair with a hoarse groan as Chem slides her finger into her. She was agonizingly slow and Lana wasn't quiet about her needs.

"Hurry..." Lana hissed, her voice cracking. Chem was intoxicated on the sound and pressed her lips against the folds between Lana's legs. Lana's hips jerked and Chemtrail curled her fingers. The smell and the taste made Chem dizzy and she couldn't get enough. She could feel Lana shuddering and it only made her move more. Lana was loud, brass and needy. She clutched to Chemtrail, rolling her hips until she could see stars. She cried out, clinging to the bed sheets. She reached out for Chemtrail, intertwining their fingers and tugging her up. Lana kissed her, took in the flavor of herself on Chem's lips and whispered,

"I need more of you."

* * *

"Are you seriously letting me continue?"

A pause. Lana's face is contorted — pained.

"You miss her a lot." Guilt set in. He hadn't meant to hurt her by bringing up the past.

"I will tear this whole galaxy apart to find her, Xeno. With or without your help." She stands, turns to leave.

"Wait. There's more."

"And?"

"I was there when it happened."

* * *

They all silently agreed it was a suicide mission when they got the message from Darth Marr. When Jelala locked the door to the Apartment and turned off the lights, it felt like goodbye.

The three of them nodded at each other and left to the own ships. They didn't talk about what would happen when they found the Emperor because they didn't want to think about it. Chemtrail knew in her gut that Jelala still wanted to serve him but for now, the Warrior was still angry and desperate for answers. Chemtrail hoped the answers they got wouldn't be good enough for Jelala. She didn't share these thoughts with Xeno but Xeno never really trusted Jelala.

They knew it was a suicide mission when Jelala ordered them to ram Darth Marr's ship into the attacking fleet. Chem was able to yell out a warning over the intercom but just how many escape pods made it out was unknown.

It was a blur and then they woke up in shackles. Jelala spat in the face of their captor when they woke up. Xeno kept silent. Chemtrail tried to find out where they were. But they all felt it — they all knew. And then when they finally saw him it felt like the end. Chem screamed and sobbed when Marr died. Xeno squeezed his eyes shut.

And Jelala. Jelala fell to her knees. Jelala keeled.

It was an explosion of energy and power. No one had time to react — to even feel the sting of betrayal. The air surged with electricity and Jelala pushed against it. The Emperor laughed. Suddenly, weapons were thrust into Xeno's and Chemtrail's hands. The feel of steel never felt so right. The Son charged in first and the fight broke out. Jelala snarled, throwing Chem back. Xeno took aim. It was chaos. Chemtrail ran at Jelala and Jelala just barely dodged. Chem kept her distracted.

Xeno's shot rang out. Everything was silent. Jelala turned. They all lowered their weapons.

But none of them were winners that day. The Knights surrounded them. Jelala didn't struggle. Chemtrail fought back with curses and lightning. Xeno took down as many as he could, dodging and making a bee-line for the door.

In the end, all they remembered was the carbonite.

* * *

"I've told you all I remember. Are you gonna tell me what you know now?"

Lana won't meet his eyes and sighs, "We found you in carbonite, floating through space in an unmanned shuttle."

* * *

They knew better than to put all of the prisoners in one place, even in carbonite.

Jelala didn't fight back. Chem was easily disabled by a force-restricting shock collar.

But Xeno. Xeno pretended to go without a fight after he was knocked to the ground and disarmed. They loaded him onto a shuttle to a different prison. He played along, until they tried to freeze him. He took down almost every member of the ship before they got a tranquilizer in his neck. The last of crew's injuries were fatal, but they got him into the carbonite.

* * *

"How long has it been then?"

"Five years."

He takes a deep breath to steady himself, "That...That's a long time."

"But you'll help us find them, right?"

* * *

"Don't try to move. You're dying. I may have you're cure but I'm not going to lie. This will hurt."

* * *

In the end all the rooms are empty. Dust has settled in and the air is stale. The walls creak and groan as Dromund Kaas falls apart. It is Quinn who drags his hands across the stair banisters one last time. He sees shadows out of the corners of his eyes, he hears voices.

"My Lord," he rasps and then listens. There is no answer. His legs shake. He wants Jelala back. The building rattles. The war outside is over, the Empire is gone. He is alone.

He turns his back on the Apartment and all of it's empty rooms.


End file.
